Why Parents Shouldn't Ignore Their Kids' Behavioral Issues

Below:

Next story in Science

Parents who are concerned about their kids' behavioral problems
may not bring them up with their child's doctor, but they should
consider doing so, researchers say.

In a survey of nearly 1,300 parents of children ages 5 to 17,
researchers found that only half of the parents said they would
tell the doctor about temper
tantrums that seemed worse than the child's peers', or if the
child appeared to be more worried or anxious than usual.

Only 37 percent of the parents said they would tell the doctor if
their child had trouble getting organized to do their homework.

But children's
emotional and behavioral health is closely related to their
physical health and development, the researchers said. Telling
the doctor about children's behavioral problems is important
because doing so may help detect serious health issues, such as
depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and
substance abuse, they said.

Parents can start conversations with their child's doctor by just
saying, "Hey, we noticed this," said Sarah J. Clark, author of
the report and an associate director of the University of
Michigan's National Poll on Children's Health. "That opens the
door for the doctor to ask more questions of the parent and of
the child," she said. [ 11
New Warning Signs Help Spot Mental Illness in Children ]

The doctor could then screen the child for potential behavioral
health problems, offer tips, or refer him or her to a mental or
behavioral health specialist, she said.

Among the parents who said they would not discuss behavior issues
with a doctor, 50 percent said the reason was that they did not
think
behavior problems were medical issues. Another 40 percent
said they would prefer to handle the issues themselves, and 30
percent said they would rather consult someone other than a
doctor.

Most parents in the study (60 percent) said they would tell the
doctor if their
child was very sad for longer than a month, the researchers
found.

Although issues such as temper tantrums or trouble organizing
homework are not necessarily alarming, they should not be
dismissed, either, Clark said. "They are worth a conversation,"
she told Live Science.

If behavioral problems are ignored, "the danger is that the kid
struggles unnecessarily because they are not getting the help
they need," Clark said.

There are two major signs that should prompt parents to consider
talking about behavioral problems with a child's doctor. One of
them is when something seems out of the norm for the child, and
the other is "when something seems to be out of step with other
kids that same age," she said.

The new report was published today (May 18) as part of the C.S.
Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.